Australian news, and some related international items

Australian Conservation Foundation encourages all voters to recognise the coming CLIMATE ELECTION

Sector Action Needed For the ‘Climate Election’ https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/10/sector-action-needed-climate-election/The environmental sector needs to step up efforts to ensure serious action on climate change is part of all political parties’ federal election platform, a sector leader says. Wednesday, 31st October 2018 Maggie Coggan, JournalistKelly O’Shanassy, Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) CEO, spoke to Pro Bono News following an address to the National Press Club on Tuesday, where she expressed her concern over the impact of climate change, and the inaction of politicians.O’Shanassy said the ACF, along with other environmental organisations, were tired of the climate dysfunction coming out of Canberra, and titled the upcoming election the “climate election”.

“For decades ACF has knocked on the doors of Parliament House with climate policy solutions, supported by community and business, only to see them vanish into thin air because of weak political leadership,” O’Shanassy said on Tuesday.

“We are tired of government after government at the national level, failing Australians on climate change, and so, we decided to do something about it.”

O’Shanassy said the lack of action from politicians on climate change, combined with an increased awareness from the public on the damage it had already done, meant it was the perfect time to focus attention and energy on the issue.

She encouraged environmental groups involved in the election to start conversations with voters about climate change, and the solutions that were out there that politicians were yet to take action on.“We would encourage everyone in the environment sector to make climate a focus, to be part of our million conversations, to talk about climate damage that is here now, but also the solutions that are here now,” she said.

“This upcoming election matters, and people can create a safer future through their vote.”

She said polling data showed about 70 to 80 per cent of the Australian community did want government action on climate change, and so it was important for the sector to harness those views in order to push change.

“My warning to politicians that ignore climate change, is do so at your political peril because the Australian community have moved on, the mood of the nation has changed, and people want action,” she said.

FEDERALSubmissions about the proposed National Radioactive Waste Management Facility in Kimba or the Flinders Ranges. The Standing Committee on Environment and Energy are accepting submissions to the ‘Inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia’ until 16 September 2019. Please write your own submission or use FOE’s online proforma.

Nuclear facilities, including power stations and radioactive waste dumps, are now banned in Queensland.

Nuclear facilities banned under the Act include:

·nuclear reactors (whether used to generate electricity or not);

·uranium conversion and enrichment plants;

·nuclear fuel fabrication plants;

·spent fuel processing plants; and

·facilities used to store or dispose of material associated with the nuclear fuel cycle e.g. radioactive waste material.

Exemptions under the legislation include facilities for the storage or disposal of waste material resulting from research or medical purposes, and the operation of a nuclear-powered vessel.

1 FEDERALSubmissions about the proposed National Radioactive Waste Management Facility in Kimba or the Flinders Ranges. The Standing Committee on Environment and Energy are accepting submissions to the ‘Inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia’ until 16 September 2019. Please write your own submission or use FOE’s online proforma.

Australia has long rejected nuclear power, and it is banned in Federal and State laws. The nuclear lobby is out to first repeal those laws, and then to get the Australian government to commit to buying probably large numbers of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) . This could mean first importing plutonium and/or enriched uranium, as some reactor models, (thorium ones) require these to get the fission process started. That would, in effect, mean importing nuclear wastes.

There’s an all-too short period for people to send in Submissions to the 4 Parliamentary Inquiries now in progress.